A new tool to evaluate ocean carbon cycle models
Information Technology (IT) played a significant role in advancing a number of different scientific disciplines. Modern computers can perform large numbers of calculations in very short periods of time. This has allowed environmental scientists to develop increasingly complex numerical models in an attempt to better simulate the real world. Apart from new model development, IT has also contributed to the creation of a secondary genre of software associated with analysing output generated by these models. The Global Analysis Package (GAP) is a perfect example. GAP was produced by the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace in France in the framework of an ENV 2C project. GAP satisfies a longstanding need for a common tool for analysis and visualization of large amounts of data. Research groups throughout Europe (and worldwide) pursue diverse strategies with respect to model development. Difficulty arises when trying to compare the results of these different models. GAP can not only be used to make intercomparisons between different models, but also to compare model output with actual measurements. GAP was tested with the output of seven different ocean carbon cycle models from different European research groups. Based on feedback gathered during the project, the initial version of GAP was improved and a second version was issued by the project's conclusion. A key feature of GAP is its ability to work with non-standard grids, such as those employed in ocean models. Other components necessary for model output comparison, such as multivariate and zone mean analysis, are included. The IPSL is making GAP available to the research community free of charge. Users are asked to help provide debugging support and to contribute ideas for future developments.
